The South western news., 1887-10-26

than water tinged with vinegar, but under
our northern climate the temptation TO heat
ing stimulants is most mighty, and millions
succumb When mans habits go wrong
the church drops him, the social circle drops
him, goc1 influences drop him. we all drop
him. OF ell the men who get off the track but
few ever get on again. Near my summer
residence there is ifesaving station on the
beach There are all the ropes and rockets,
the boats, the machinery for getting people
off shipwrecks. Summer before last | saw
there fifteen or twenty men who were break
fasting, after having just escaped with their
lives and nothing more. Up and down our
coasts are built these useful structures, and
the mariners know it. and they feel that ii
they are driven into the breakers there will
be apt from shore to come a rescue. The
churches of God ought to be so many life saw
ing stations, not so much to help those who
are in smooth waters, but those who have been
shipwrecked. Come, let us run out the life
boatsi And who will man them3 We do not
preach enough to such men; we have not
enough faith in their release. Alas, If when
they come to hear us we are laboriously try
ing to show the difference between sublap-
sarianism and supralaprarianism while they
have thousand vipers of remorse and de-
spair coiling around aud biting their immortal
spirits The church is not chiefly for goodish
sort of men whose proclivities are all right,
and who could get to heaven praying and
singing in their own HON s. 1t is on the
beach to help the drowning. Those bad
cases are the cases that God likes
to take hold of Hs can save y
big sinner as well as a small sinner,
and when a man calls earnestly to God for
help he will go out to deliver such one. II
10 were necessary God would come down
from the sky, followed by all the artillery of
heaven and 100000 angels with drawn
swords. Get 100 such redeemed men in each
md No acttld cta
before them, for such men are generally warm
hearted and enthusiastic Noformal prayers
then. No heartless singing then No cold
conventionalisms then.
Furthermore. the destitute children of the
street offer q field of work comparatively I'M
occupied. The uncared for children are in
the majority in Brooklyn and most of our
cities. When they grow up, if unreformed,
they will outvote your children, and they will
govern yoar children. The whisky ring will
hatch out other whisky rings and grog
shops will kill with their horrid stencil public
sobriety unless the church Of God rises up
with outstretched arms and enfolds this dying
population in her bosom Public schools can
not do it. Art galleries cannot do it. Black
wells Island cannot do it. Almshouses can
not do it. New York Tombs and Raymond
Street jail cannot do it. Sing Sing cannot
do it. Church of God, wake up to your mag
nificent mission. You can do it, Get some
where, somehow to work.
The Prussian cavalry mount by putting
their right foot into the stirrup, while the
American cavalrymen mount by putting
their left foot into the stirrup. don't care
how you mount your war charger, if you
only get into this battle for God and get there
soon, right stirrnp, or left stirrup, or
no stirrlip at all The unoccupied fields
are all around us, and why should
we build on another mans foundation!
That God has called this church to
especial work no one can doubt Its mis-
tory has been miraculous. God has helped us
at every step, and though the wheels of its
history have made many revolutions, they
have all been Forwarded, land never backward,
and now with our borders enlarged and with
important re-enforcements we start on new
campaign. At Sharon Springs, nineteen
years ago, walking in the park, asked God, If
he had any particular work for me to do, TO
make it plain and | would do it. He revealed
to me the style of church we were to have an
he revealed to me the architecture and he re
vealed to me the modes of worship, and he
revealed to me my work, and, as for as in my
ignorance and weakness | have seen the right
way, l have tried to walk in it.
We decided that we want 1t a
soul saving church, and it has been
almost d constant outpouring of the Holy
Ghost. Ye powers Of darkness, ye devils in
he'll, we mean TO snatch from your dominion
other multitudes if God win help ds ] have
heard of what was called the ''thundering
legion" 1t was in 10 "A part Of the Roman
army to which some Christians belonged,
and their prayers it was said, were an
swered by thunder and lightning and hail
and tempest, which overthrow an invading
army and saved the empire. And / would
to God that this church may b. so
mighty in prayer and work that it would be-
come a laundering legion before which the
forces of sin might be routed and the gates Of
hell be made to tremble. Now that the autumn
has come, and the gospel ship has been re-
paired and enlarged, it IS time to launch her
FOR another voyage. Heave away now, lads
shake out the reefs in the foretopsail Come,
o heavenly wind, ard ill the canvasl Jesus
aboard will assure our safety. Jesus on the
sea will beckou US forward. Jesus on the
shining shore will welcome US into harbor.
And so it came to pass that they all escaped
safe to land y